


Mixed Cases and Messy Crimes

by ChileanRevolutionXIII



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Rating May Change, ryan and shane are dorks, secret agent AU, true crime cases
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-12 17:03:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13551750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChileanRevolutionXIII/pseuds/ChileanRevolutionXIII
Summary: Ryan and Shane have solved dozens of cases, making sure to stop crimes before they can escalate too much and taking down criminals. But this case might be a little different from anything they've faced before...





	1. Masquerade Mix-Up

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo! I'd never really expected to write anything for Buzzfeed, but here we are I guess. This story came up when talking to a friend, I decided to write a snippet, and the rest is history. Hope you enjoy, this fic just might end up being a monster...

“You don’t think you could be a little quieter?” Ryan murmurs as he talks to Shane through his earpiece, watching the taller man out on the dance floor. “I can hear your laugh from here, you’re supposed to be inconspicuous.”

Shane waits till no one’s paying too much attention to him. _“The atmosphere’s infectious. Let’s party, baby,”_ he says in a light tone.

Ryan rolls his eyes. “You know what we’re here for. And it’s not to flirt or drink fancy wine.”

_“Not even when I’d be flirting with you? Come on, we can look for the target together. Dance with me, Ry.”_

Ryan hesitates. He really should stay here, it’s a good vantage point, he has a clear view of the dance floor, from the tipsiest gentleman to the most eloquent lady. He should stay….

“Don’t make me regret this, Madej.”

There’s a smile in Shane’s voice. _“Wouldn’t dream of it. Now come here.”_

Ryan sighs, adjusting his mask. This is a masquerade ball, after all, and nobody should see his face anyway. It could jeopardize the mission. Shane wears his mask proudly, a bright green thing that reminds him of an alien. That was probably the goal.

As he moves around the crowd he looks around warily, knowing the target is here somewhere. In a sea of masks, he doesn’t make it easy to find him. He’s so busy scanning he almost bumps into Shane.

“Hey, stranger,” he says with a grin. Ryan looks up at him and can’t help but return the smile, albeit with a hint of exasperation.

“Have you even been looking for our target?” he murmurs as they start to dance, tilting his head up for a conversation only Shane can hear. The area’s pretty crowded, and he doesn’t want information falling into the wrong hands.

It’s a slightly miffed tone that reaches Ryan’s ears, and he giggles as Shane says, “Of course I have. I didn’t just come here for the party. I saw him for a second, but he disappeared.” He leads Ryan around the dancefloor, fluidly slipping between other guests and dancers. “You had any drinks?”

Ryan hums. “Not yet. Not till we’re done.” He does glance longingly at the champagne, but there won’t be any drinking anytime soon. 

Shane holds Ryan close, moving them in tight circles to the rhythm of the music. He’s right, the mood is infectious. He wouldn’t mind spending the night just having fun, a brief moment of relaxation before jumping into the case. Still, they have to focus.

“So what’s he dressed like?”

“He’s wearing purple. Flashy kinda dude. His mask was cool though. Feathers and glitter.”

There are at least a few people here in purple tonight, Ryan’s going to have to go by the mask, and of course pre-mission information. A little shorter than Shane, willowy build, black hair. With a bit of luck on their side, they’ll be done within the hour.

“Do you wanna take him out or should I?” Shane asks, ducking his head down to meet Ryan.

“It’s whoever gets there first. I’m not risking a mission just to beat you to it.”

“Not even for a bet? Make this a little more interesting?”

“Wha-”

“Oh, found him. See you soon.” Shane kisses Ryan before weaving through the crowd. _“If you don’t get to him before I do, you owe me twenty,”_ his voice comes in through Ryan’s earpiece.

It’s a split second decision, really. Ryan’s already moving through the crowd, natural as a fish in water. 

“You’re gonna regret that bet.” He happened to see the target same time as Shane, and he knows there’s a quicker way to him, _around_ the crowd instead of through it. He’s not short, not by a long shot, but he’s a lot quicker getting around then Shane is. There’s a reason he was picked for this mission. Of course, Shane wanted to come with, and it’s never a bad thing to have backup. 

Shane Madej. Clean record, never failed a mission, graduated top of his class. He acts like a dolt, but he really is intelligent. Ryan wouldn’t want anyone else at his side, really. Especially for a mission like this one. 

Riley August Marsh. A criminal if Ryan ever saw one. Lacking a flashy name, but never a flare for dramatic crimes. Never stays long at the scene of the crime. No, he always disappears just before the police show up. The only thing he ever leaves behind is ruin. Arson, usually, or murder. Occasionally an entire family shows up dead. And the only reason anyone found out it was him was due to the fact that he leaves a calling card. Nothing too obvious, just enough to tip the police off. Of course, no one pinned him down until Ryan decided to help with the case, sort through their theories and their suspects. And here he is.

He slips into a dimly lit hallway, making sure to keep tabs on Marsh as he goes. Shane turns on the earpiece just to hum the mission impossible theme, and Ryan knows it’s going to be stuck in his head the rest of the evening.

“Stop messing around,” he mutters, hearing Shane’s soft laugh. One of these days he’s going to get caught…

Marsh pauses, glancing around and making Ryan stop, keeping to the shadows. The man is alone, his steps echoing through the halls, and Ryan can tell he has the place mapped out. What he’s planning tonight is vague, nothing listed in the report besides the note he’d left for the police to find. Whatever it is, he’s not going to live long enough to carry it out. 

Shane decides to step out into the open, Marsh’s gaze immediately turned towards him. Ryan curses that brashness, waiting to see what happens.

“Finally decided to show up?” Gun leveled at the man, Shane keeps an upbeat demeanor, as though he were having a conversation with an old friend. Ryan knows it’s an act. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Shane shakes his head. “Don’t play innocent. Not when you’ve done so much.”

“I haven’t done anything. In fact...” the man starts reaching for his pocket, and Shane levels his gun right at Marsh’s head.

“Hands where I can see them.”

“I’m innocent.”

“Bullshit. Nothing’s happened tonight, because we’ve got you here.”

Ryan isn’t quite sure why Shane hasn’t killed him yet, but something about this isn’t adding up. He steps out, catching Shane’s eye.

“Nothing’s happened yet because…” Why is he hesitating? “I can’t talk about this, here,” he reaches for his pocket again, Ryan nodding at Shane that it’s alright. Shane keeps his gun ready but takes the slip of paper, opening it. When he looks up, his brow is furrowed.

“Ryan--”

A gunshot goes off in the ballroom, audible all around. Ryan flinches, throwing a panicked glance at Shane.

“Fuck.”

Shane grabs hold of Marsh as Ryan dashes off into the ballroom, where the crowd forms a giant ring around what Ryan knows is going to be a body. He pushes through and inwardly groans.

 

“So you’re trying to tell me you’re innocent?” Shane’s guard still isn’t completely down. Not after all the time they’ve spent chasing after this man.

Marsh sighs. “Not entirely. Unfortunately. The first time this happened, I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and got framed. The real killer blackmailed me into taking the blame. Then he took it a step further and made me help him disappear. Honestly I got wrapped up in this before I really knew what was happening.”

“Really.” Shane’s guard is in no way down, but if it’s true he can’t help but pity the man. “And what? You were gonna keep this up forever?”

Marsh shakes his head. “No, that was to warn you-”

Another shot rings out and Shane barely manages not to flinch as Marsh drops to the ground, a bullet in his head. Eyes wide, he looks around, trying to find the killer. Instead he finds Ryan running towards him full speed, grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

“The police are here, we have to go.”

“What about Marsh?”

Ryan shakes his head. “Leave him! We’ve got other things to worry about.”

Ryan’s legs might be shorter, but at the moment the adrenaline rushing through him has Shane holding on in case he gets left behind. They left the car back by the woods, and although he didn’t mean it, Ryan did accidentally almost leave him behind once...

It’s a wonder their masks didn’t fly off during their escape. Car doors slamming shut, Ryan turns the car on, immediately driving onto the road. His knuckles are white as he grips the steering wheel, mouth set in a straight line. The police aren’t following them, or there would be red and blue lights flashing behind them, cause for at least a little relief. It’s never a good thing when local police get up in classified affairs. Shane knows that firsthand, cleaning up their mess was more than he ever wanted to get into… As it is, there’s a tension in the air, he can feel it. Carding his fingers through his hair, he forces a smile.

“Well, I guess one of your theories was proved right in the end.”

Ryan glances at him, bemused, and focuses back on the road. Then he giggles tensely, looking back at Shane.

“Holy shit. We just saw two people die and that’s what you’re thinking about?”

Shane shrugs. “I mean, you probably would’ve brought it up in an hour or so. I just beat you to it. Besides, we kill people all the time, it’s in the job description.” 

With a shake of his head, Ryan exhales. 

“Yeah, but this time we weren’t the ones doing the killing.”

“Who died? The one you went to see.”

The car brakes at a stop sign, Ryan keeping his foot on the brake longer than necessary. “The host. Jonathan Whitelock. Bullet through the head.”

“Just like Marsh.”

A car passes by, and for a few moments there’s silence. Everything happened so fast, Shane almost forgets the not Marsh gave him. He pulls it out of his pocket, unfolding it. Ryan leans over.

“What does it say?”

Shane clears his throat, feigning importance, and Ryan rolls his eyes. 

_“It wasn’t me. Any killings that happen tonight won’t have been caused by me. Believe me, even writing this makes me feel like the next victim. I can’t give much information, I hardly know the villain myself. All I know is his motive. Even that was hard to piece together.”_ At this Shane raises his eyebrows. “I guess the real perpetrator was just a shadow. A ghost, you might say.” He makes the jab at Ryan’s love for anything supernatural.

Ryan shoots him a look, only half annoyed. “Keep reading.”

“Right you are. _‘If I can’t be at the next casualty, keep in mind that he goes after those who’ve hurt him. It’s a complicated matter, since I don’t actually know who he really is. All I know is from what he’s told me. One thing. If the name_ Tinsley _means anything to you, it might be a clue.’”_

“Like CC Tinsley? That one detective they never found?” Ryan’s brow furrows. “Why on earth would that be a clue?”

“Maybe the killer murked Tinsley.” Shane says with a grin. He leans back in his seat, arms behind his head as he reclines. “Can we figure it out tomorrow? He doesn’t kill people daily, after all.”

“Brent’s gonna wanna know what’s going on.” Ryan taps out a random little beat on the wheel, and Shane notices he’s still wearing his mask.

“You gonna wear that the rest of the night?”

“Hmm? Oh.” He tears off the mask, throwing it in the backseat. “What a mess.”  
“Not entirely. We got clues, remember? Although wow, that note was vague. I could write a better letter than that. But it still helps.”

“Yeah, at the cost at the person who could’ve been our main witness.”

“True.” Okay, Shane’ll give him that one. “But Ryan, no one knew this was gonna happen. We did pretty good.”

That makes Ryan smile. It’s a small one that doesn’t quite meet his eyes, and Shane knows he can do better.

“Ryan…”

“What?” Ryan’s attention is back on the road, they’re about halfway to the motel they’re staying at currently. 

“You never got a drink.”

Ryan side-eyes him, a genuine smile on his face this time. “Believe me, big guy, once we get to the motel I’m gonna have that drink. And maybe throw in some popcorn, too.”

“Now you’re thinking.” One more quick jab, then he’ll be done. “And you owe me twenty dollars.”

“Fuck you, the deal was whoever killed him got twenty, and that didn’t happen,” Ryan says with a laugh. 

“Mm. You just don’t wanna pay me.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

 

Shane wakes up to a hushed voice in the kitchen. He rolls onto his side, his eyes adjusting to the light as he recollects last night’s events. His glasses are on the nightstand, at least he had the sense to take out his contacts before collapsing from exhaustion. He didn’t even get to steal any of Ryan’s popcorn. And...he didn’t take the suit off. Disgusting. There’s still blood on it. That settles it, he needs to get out of bed. First things first, he changes into a plain t-shirt and jeans, he’ll shower after breakfast. Because goddammit, he’s hungry. His stomach is screaming for food, and he’s not about to ignore that demand.

“Thanks, Brent. Yeah, I think we’ll stay here a little long, we might’ve missed something. We’ll tell you if anything comes up.” Shane walks in, meeting eyes with Ryan, who waves, still focused on the conversation with their boss. “Yeah. Yeah. Okay. See you later.” A click and he hangs up. “You’re finally awake.”

“Yeah….did you actually let me fall asleep with blood on my clothes? Because that’s gross.”  
Ryan wrinkles his nose, running his hand through his messy hair. “I didn’t even notice, my bad. You went to bed so early I didn’t think anything of it. I can call room service to change the sheets.”

Pulling on his coat, Shane gives a one-shouldered shrug. “It’s not that big a deal. The blood was dry anyway. I’m gonna go get breakfast, want any?”

“Considering it’s noon, I think I’m good.” Ryan points to the fridge. “I did get you a breakfast burrito though. Unless you actually want to go out.”

“Nope. I’m just gonna microwave that burrito and stay where it’s warmer.” It’s funny, they never bring real food to the places they’re staying, but god forbid they forget to bring popcorn. When did they start that…? “What did Brent say?”

Ryan waves his hand dismissively. “Just wanted a rundown of last night’s events, the news isn’t exactly the best at nailing all the details. I told him we’re staying a little longer.”

Shane nods. He heats the food up, sitting at the table with Ryan, who's busy scribbling on a piece of paper. There's no doubt in Shane's mind that he's trying to piece together the case and keep the mission going. Ryan usually doesn't stop till its solved. Sometimes it’s a little annoying, he doesn’t leave any stones unturned, but it’s usually his determination that gets cases closed and criminals put down.

“Any leads?”

“No. What does CC Tinsley have to do with any of this? His case was like 70 years ago, he’s gotta be dead by now.” 

“Didn’t he also disappear...?”

“Supposedly. Nobody has any idea where he went. Which is why this makes no sense.”

Shane takes a bite of his burrito, thinking. “What if it’s not about Tinsley, but more about his case? Marsh...I mean. Wow, we don’t even have a name for this dude anymore. Okay. But he’s committed arson, right? Didn’t that happen in Tinsley’s case?” He sets his food down and turns Ryan’s paper around to read over it, seeing nonsensical doodles in the margins next to the thoughts lining the sheet. There’s a funny one in the corner, a tiny doodle of bigfoot.

“That’s...yeah, that’s what everyone thinks happened.”

“Well it sure is a good thing you know about all this stuff. I doubt anybody sane would.” 

“Gee, thanks,” Ryan says sarcastically. “It is kinda weird though, isn’t it? You don’t hear about Tinsley at all. He’s not exactly a hot conversation topic.” 

Shane snorts, leaning back in his hair and fiddling with the pencil. “This killer’s just a nerd. I can’t believe he’s gonna make us work this hard to catch him.”

“Like he’s made it so easy. There’s a reason we haven’t caught him yet. He’s trying to make this the toughest case ever.”

“By sending us unsolved ones to sort through? Sounds like he knows your brand.” Shane says this lightly, picking his burrito back up, but Ryan narrows his eyes thoughtfully. 

“Seems like it, doesn’t it?” He takes back the paper, reading over his writing. “CC Tinsley, arson...the killer’s first crime. That was arson, wasn’t it?”

“I think so.” After rifling through his bag Shane pulls out his laptop, pulling up information on the Sodder house case and their target's case file. Shane looks up suddenly. “Hey, can we come up with something catchier for this guy? What are we supposed to call him?”

“Does he need a name?”

“Sure. What about...Steve?”

“Steve? That makes him sound friendly. He’s a cold-blooded killer, Shane.” Ryan taps the paper. “Let’s just get back to the research.”

 

There’s more to this story than anyone knows -whether arson or accident- Ryan knows that. He knows the Sodder kids went missing, but he gets the feeling that’s not what the killer (Steve? Ugh, that name’s going to stick, isn’t it...) wants them to focus on.

“You know, he might just be telling us if we look into it we’ll disappear.”

“I think there’s more to it than that, or he would’ve killed you last night, seconds after Marsh. He’s had plenty of opportunities.” Ryan rests his chin in his hands, feet tapping against the floor. “He’s playing with us. We just have to be at the top of our game and beat him to the finish.”

Shane grins. “Well, Agent Bergara, it’s a good thing you and I are on top of the case. We’re the best around.”

“That we are, Agent Madej.” Ryan smiles back. “Once we’re through, the killer’s gonna wish he’d never messed with us.”

Shane shakes his head with mock sympathy. “Poor Steve won’t know what hit him.”


	2. Sodder House Search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiyo! Thanks for reading, I'm having a lot of fun writing this! Mysteries everywhere lol...anyways, enjoy! Comments and kudos are appreciated but honestly? Just have fun reading :)

There’s an email notification waiting for Shane once he gets out of the shower. It lights up the phone sitting on the bed stand, and he picks it up, unlocking it and clicking on the notif. It’s not an email from anyone he knows, heck, the email doesn’t even have a sender. It’s just...there. He focuses on the first couple sentences and frowns.

“Hey, Ry?” He walks into the kitchen, where Ryan’s covered the table in notes. It’s only been half an hour since Shane left to clean up, and it looks like a hurricane of paper swept through the room. Amazing.

“What’s up?” Ryan doesn’t look up, finger pressed against a jumble of scribbles as he reads.

“Did you get an email?” Shane shows the seated man the screen. Ryan squints at it through his glasses.

“Let me pull it up on the laptop.” A couple minutes later and the email pops up on the larger screen.

_“So, you decided to follow through on the case after all. Can’t say I’m surprised, you two haven’t turned down anything that’s come your way. If you really do want to find me, you’ll have to start with the last case I sent you. Or did you think Marsh came upon my hint accidentally? I just wanted to start you on your way.”_ There’s a funny thing Ryan does with his voice as he reads, making it lower, almost as if he’s reading for a scary podcast. Shane notices he does it with most things he reads aloud, it’s endearing, in a way, even if it is a little strange.   
There’s a pause, and Shane stands behind him, peering over his shoulder and resting his arms on the back of the chair.

“Is that it?” 

Ryan shakes his head. “I just need some water.” He grabs his bottle, setting it on the floor when he’s done, and continues: _“‘Maybe I wasn’t clear enough when I gave you that hint. You really want to solve my case? I think you’d better check out the place where it happened and look into some of the theories. Although, even if you figure it out, you’ll never actually catch me. Now starts the real fun, hope you can keep up.’_ Ha, we’ll see about that, Steve,” Ryan scoffs. Shane smirks.

“So that’s what we’re calling him then?”

Ryan looks at Shane. “I’m not giving this asshole the satisfaction of a cool name. He’s too cocky. No way we won’t solve this.”

“We looking into the theories?”

“Yeah, we’re looking into the theories, then we’ll, I dunno, visit the location of the Sodder House.” There are about thirty tabs open on Shane’s computer, all about the Sodder case and C.C. Tinsley. “We can rule out faulty wiring, there’s too much against that...so arson.” He rubs at his face with a sigh. Shane looks around at all the papers that have accumulated.

“You didn’t really just write all these, did you?”

Ryan smiles tiredly. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t?”

“No. But you have a computer to write on.”

“I don’t wanna have to keep flipping through tabs.”

“Give me that.” Shane takes the computer and sits next to Ryan, opening a blank doc. “Okay, tell me what we got. Why was it arson, who caused it?”

“It was either the mob or...there was this one guy, a life insurance salesman. He threatened to burn their house down.”

Shane types that up, adding a little bullet point under it. “Why?” When Ryan doesn’t respond, he looks up to see him shaking his head, clearly about to laugh.

“You’re gonna think this is so stupid. He didn’t manage to sell anything, so he went crazy and started bitching Sodder out.” He lets out a giggle. “Who does that?”

“You know, you’d be surprised, what with all the crazies around. You know who I could see doing that?” A pause for dramatic effect. “Eugene.”

Ryan raises his eyebrows with a low whistle. “Holy shit Shane. I’m gonna tell him.” He has his phone out, ready to call the other agent, when his phone gets plucked out of his hand.

“Don’t you dare, Bergara. I’d never hear the end of it.” He tosses the phone across the room, where it falls onto the couch. Ryan goes to get up, and Shane points a finger at him. “Don’t you even, Ry-” The shorter man rushes towards the couch, Shane grabs his hand and tries to drag him back. He barely keeps the laptop from falling onto the floor, setting it down to stand up and take Ryan’s other hand. Ryan tries to pull away in a half-hearted attempt, not bothering to keep in his laughter.

“You’re an ass, Ryan.”

“Am I?”

“ _Yes_. Now sit back down, we’ve got a case to finish.” Shane raises an eyebrow, and Ryan sighs through his nose.

“Fine, fine. Let me just-” He tears away and grabs the phone, waving it in Shane’s face and pulling back as soon as he tries to grab it. “I can’t believe you fell for that. Smh.”

“Who just says that _out loud?_ ” Shane says incredulously, throwing his hands up in the air. “I think part of my soul just died. You’re on your own, I can’t work with you anymore.” He grabs his backpack and zips it up, slinging it over his shoulder. “You’ve driven me to this.”

“Shane.” Ryan’s face is set in a wide smile. “Come on, get back here. We’ve got a case to finish.”

“Oh do we now? Now all of a sudden you’re focused?” But now he’s smiling too, setting his bag down and stepping back into the kitchen where Ryan waits. Ryan’s pressing a hand to his temple, shaking his head.

“If Brent knew this was 50% of what we did he’d hate us.”

“Probably.” Shane presses a kiss to Ryan’s forehead. “But that’s when all out best ideas come to mind. Now let’s figure some of this shit out.”

 

It takes an hour of research, scrolling through information and trying to sort out Ryan’s written ideas, before they finally come to what might be a substantial lead. 

“I think it was definitely the salesman.”

“Me too, but what that has to do with this case is the question. Is it something we’ll only figure out at the actual scene of the crime?”

“Who knows? He might’ve left us something.”

Ryan sighs. “The thing is, what if it’s a wild goose chase? He’s making us do all these things, what if they’re all to cover his tracks?”

Shane purses his lips. “Ryan, have you ever had a case where a master criminal does that? The thing about these people is that they have this thing where the want to get close to being caught and then escape. They get off on it. And this guy? Is the poster boy for that brand of villain.”

There’s the sound of Ryan rustling through papers, going over information he’s circled and words he’s underlined. “So you think we should go.”

“If it does end up being a false lead then we’ll jump back into more investigation, but it sounds like he’s trying to throw us a bone.” Shane’s eyes light up. “A Sodder kid bone.”

“That...is extremely morbid.” Ryan’s looking at Shane, a funny little expression on his face that reveals he doesn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. He ends up doing a bit of both, setting his papers down. “So we’re not going to investigate what happened last night?”

Shane sets the laptop on the table, standing up to lean against the counter. “I mean. Marsh was there, but I don’t think we’re gonna find much out there. We could let Steven or Eugene handle it.”

“They’re all the way across the country. And besides that Steven’s helping Andrew out with a triple homicide.”

“All I’m saying is we’re not gonna find much there. The police probably contaminated the area anyway, let them finish whatever they do. We’ve got a case to solve.”

“Fine.” Ryan starts putting papers into a folder, picking up a few that fall to the floor. “I’ll tell Brent and then we’ll go.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

 

They end up taking a plane to West Virginia, a two hour flight first class. It’s just enough time for the two to finalize their plan, Ryan tapping his feet on the ground impatiently. They’re wearing street clothes, trying to look inconspicuous enough. The flight attendant looks at them warily, of course they don’t look like they could afford first class, but Shane wanted the extra leg room, and Ryan wasn’t about to argue. It gives him more room to breathe as well, away from crying babies and talkative passengers. He’s on his own laptop this time, typing away in a staccato rhythm. Shane has his eyes closed, still a little tired from last night, until Ryan kicks him, waking him from his half-sleep.

“Hey. What if we end up solving the case while we’re there?”

Shane rests his chin in his hand, eyes still sleepy-looking. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you.”

“Just think of it, it hasn’t been solved in decades, and we could be the ones to figure it out.”

Shane yawns, rubbing at his eyes. “If you say so. We don’t want attention drawn to us though, remember?”

Ryan leans back in his seat, mouth set in a slight frown. “I guess. It’d be cool though, wouldn’t it?”

Shane smiles. “Yeah, it would. And once we finish the case you’re free to dig into this mystery as deep as you want.” He uncrosses his legs, leaning into the aisle and looking around. “I wonder if they have any iced milk on this plane.”

“Iced _what?_ ” Ryan’s looking at Shane like he can’t quite believe what he just heard.

“Iced milk. Like, milk with ice in it.”

“You drink that?”

Shane shrugs. “It’s good. Have you ever tried it?”

Ryan shudders just a little. “No. And I don’t want to.”

“You’re missing out.” Shane leans forward in his seat. “I’ll give you five dollars if you drink it.”

Ryan shakes his head. “I’m not ruining my tastebuds for five bucks. That’s insane, Shane.”

“I mean, it’s your loss in the end. Eh, whatever. I’m not really thirsty anyways. Wake me up when we get there.” Shane pulls his beanie over his eyes, looking more like a bank robber than anything else.

Like he’s gonna get any sleep in fifteen minutes. It takes that long for Ryan just to fall asleep. And he’d never be able to sleep in a plane. It’s weird. He glances around the room, suddenly feeling just a little uneasy. There’s another person sitting first class with them, watching them curiously. Ryan gives them a tight smile before ducking his head back down and focusing on his work.

He almost dances in relief when the plane lands, shaking Shane awake. That person hadn’t exactly stopped watching them, putting him on edge for the entire fifteen minutes. The thing is, even if they weren’t just being nosy, if they were dangerous, which he’s pretty sure they weren’t, it wasn’t like Ryan could just pull out his gun and threaten him. He’d cause a panic. So once Shane’s awake and they get off he feels tons lighter, even with his bag weighing him down. God, he’s being just a bit too jumpy, and their investigation hasn’t really even started yet. 

“And now we go to Fayetteville?”

“Yep. I need food though, all this planning gave me an appetite.”

“You want to get hot dogs?” Shane’s eyeing a food stand across from them. Ryan takes his hand, pulling him away. As much as he knows Shane loves hot dogs, he isn’t about to fill his stomach with cheap food before an investigation.

“Of course not. We’re going to an actual diner. What about Chipotle?”

“That’s your idea of a diner? Come on, let’s go see if there are any good places to eat.” 

 

They end up going to a small diner down the road, renting a car through one of Brent’s connections. Shane orders a burger and fries, Ryan getting a melt and a smoothie. Their waiter is a younger kid, this is probably his first job. Still, he probably wouldn’t blink if they told him they were secret agents. Not that they would… They order and he walks away, coming back later with food that smells amazing and makes Ryan want to shovel it all in his mouth.

“This is one of the cutest diners I’ve been to in a while,” Shane comments as he looks around. It’s like any other diner, except maybe a little fancier. There are a lot of flowers, which is nice, especially in the cold late fall. “Good food too.”

“Mm. Steven would probably laugh at us if he knew we thought this was good food.” Ryan says, eyeing his sandwich. It’s not _bad_ , it tastes almost as good as it smells, but he knows there’s better.

“Okay, but he likes going to ritzy restaurants on his off time.” Shane retorts. “Meanwhile I have no such experience.”

Ryan raises a hand in disbelief. “You’re such a liar. Just last month we went to that restaurant down the street from the apartment.”

“That was once, Ryan.”

“But it was pretty good food, yeah?”

Shane rolls his eyes, then grins. “Yeah, it was.” He sits back in his chair, fiddling with one of the fries left on the plate. “You know, we’re going kinda slow for this case. Usually we’d be done within a couple days.”

Ryan drinks from his smoothie, thinking. “Firstly, he’s playing with us, so I’m going to eat and get energy before any of the heavy stuff. Second, I was really fucking hungry. And third…” He takes one of Shane’s fries, the latter protesting half-heartedly. “Besides. It’s warmer in here than out there.”

Shane tilts his head forwards with a sigh. “You need more layers, buddy. You’re gonna freeze out there.”

“Hmm. We’ll see.” Ryan eyes Shane, a smile on his face. It’s a smile that will fall right off when they go outside, the wind bites and it’s snowing a bit, but here in the warmth he can afford an air of cockiness.

He gets a shiver down his spine and blinks, glancing around. There aren’t many people in this diner, no one in their general area, even. The closest people are an old couple five booths away. So why did he get that sudden chill?

 

It’s a relatively bare patch of land, flowers littering the area, a house at the end of the driveway. There are houses around, but this place is definitely the definition of barren. Shane keeps his hands in his pockets, trying to imagine the house that once stood here, the incident that would become one to make an imprint on history. There’s no sign of ash really, just a road, like nothing ever happened. And he feels like he’s loitering. He could always pull out his badge if someone’s comes up to ask, but he still feels like a bit of a trespasser.

Ryan points out a couple of places where things occurred, from the tampered trucks to the general area of the house itself. He’s playing the tour guide, describing the scene to Shane so clearly he can almost imagine it. Shane blinks, and for a split second he swears he can see fire, smell the sour smoke. It doesn’t help with the empty feel of the area.

“I can barely imagine anything like this happening,” he says, a tinge of sadness in his voice. “You think those kids are still alive?”

“Honestly?” Shane meets his eyes, puffing out a breath of cool air. “Probably not. Even if they had survived, they would’ve been kidnapped, and that...doesn’t really put the odds in their favor.”

Ryan hums in response, gazing out at the surrounded area. There’s a tree nearby, though a quick search proves that there’s nothing here. Not that there'd really be evidence anyway. Too many years gone by, too many seasons to fade away the incident. No clues whatsoever. It’s just a place where a horrific crime was committed a long time ago. In fact, Shane’s just kicking around a couple pebbles when he pulls up a flyer.

“This looks relatively ancient. Hey, it’s for an insurance company. Like that crazy salesman.” He passes it to Ryan, who brushes some of the dirt off, inspecting the picture on the top half of the paper, an old building in a faded photo. 

“You know, I think we might’ve passed the insurance building. Let’s go see.”

They walk up to the building. It’s a small brick structure, posters boarding up the side and ads in the windows. Ryan inspects all the posters, eyes flitting from one to the other. They all look pretty ordinary, missing dog/cat posters, a battle of the bands ad, theatre flyers. Nothing like what he thinks they’d be looking for.

“Oh, hey.”

Ryan looks away from the papers. “What?”

Shane tears a paper down. “They’re having an all-you-can-eat pie contest next week, look.” 

Ryan levels him with a look.

“Really? Pie?”

Shane smiles, about to say something when a paper catches his eye. “You don’t see too many papers with hotel murders on them.”

“Wait, what?” Ryan steps away from the wall, eyes on the paper Shane points to. Right where the poster for the contest was is a flyer with a description of the murder in Room 1046 of the President Hotel in Missouri. It’s an old case, with a suspiciously new flyer. Ryan reads everything on the paper, although he knows most of the information on the case anyways, just in case there’s a clue. But it’s just the story. Which means...

“Don’t tell me we have to go to Missouri now. He’s taking us on a road trip.”

Ryan laughs. “Steve’s our new travel guide.” Shane joins in, shoulders shaking as he laughs, until his voice drops off, eyes narrowed slightly.

“Ry, don’t turn around, but were you aware we were being watched?” He leans down to speak quietly, making it look as innocuous as he can. 

“I did feel kind of weird. You know, shivers down my spine.” Ryan frowns. “Come to think of it, there was someone on the plane watching us too. How do they look?”

“Big coat, shorter than you, I think. I didn’t know that was possible.”

“Fuck you Shane. Keep describing them.”

“Blond. Can’t really tell their gender from here. How’d the person on the plane look?”

“...Not like that, but I still don’t like this. We should be careful. What are they doing now?”

Shane laughs, covering his mouth, like they’re having a normal conversation. “They’re still watching us.”

“Really?” Ryan hugs Shane, to whisper in his ear. “Take the paper and we’ll go.”

Shane rips the paper from the wall and they stroll off. “So you think we’re done here?”

“I mean, we found part one of our creepy little scavenger hunt, so I’d say so.” He pulls out his phone, texting Brent. “Jen’s on a case with Sara in Missouri at the moment, I think. Or was it Minnesota...?”

They get back in the car, and only then does Ryan look back at where Shane saw the person. They’re still there, not even trying to maintain an air of innocence. Ryan grimaces before starting the car, and hopes there won’t be anybody watching them at the next location. He’s got a bad feeling about it.


	3. High Stakes at the Hotel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! This chapter gets a little more violent towards the end, fair warning. Besides that...all I really have to say is enjoy!! I appreciate all you guys, thanks for reading! :)

Hotels have always been a source for interesting stories. Yes, some of them are supernatural, everyone knows of at least one story of a haunted hotel room on the 14th (13th) floor. With this case, what happened in Room 1046 of the President Hotel was a nightmare.

The hotel itself has been renovated, having been closed down and reopening in the 80s as the Hotel President. However, Ryan’s pretty sure the rooms haven’t changed too much.   
In truth, he’s never really had any desire to visit, but that’s where they’re headed right at this moment. There’s that sinking feeling in his stomach again, and it’s not going away. It’s not always a good idea to bring the past up, especially when it’s as dark as this. Too bad that’s exactly what they plan to do.

“You ever been to Missouri?” Shane asks, looking out the passenger side window. They pass trees with dead leaves still attached, seeming almost frozen in place. It’s an odd kind of scenery. Not exactly one you’d see in a happy dream. Snow dusts the ground, surprising Ryan. It’s something he never really expected in a state like this, which probably shows just how much he knows about Missouri. Of course, he doesn’t know much about where snow falls to begin with, being from California.

“No. Never really had much reason to, why?”

“Just wondering. We’ve been to a lot of places for missions, but I don’t think we’ve ever come here. The St. Louis Arch is pretty cool. I was here a few years ago, it was raining when I went up.” It’s raining now, a freezing rain that pelts the car and makes the snow a wet mess that will no doubt be icy later.

“Why couldn’t he have started his stupid game in the summer?” Ryan mumbles.

Shane laughs, his breath coming out in a cold little puff, even in the supposedly warm car. “Steve’s a cruel man. Still, you’d be used to it if you were from Chicago.”

Ryan’s grumbling makes Shane laugh even more, and Ryan lets him. He likes hearing his boisterous laugh, and besides, he doesn’t think he’ll be hearing it much at the hotel. The roads leading to it are busy enough, they’re in the middle of civilisation. It’s a shorter drive too.

Maybe not short enough. About five minutes in Shane’s phone beeps, a notification lighting up his phone.

“50 bucks says it’s Steve.”

“I’m not gonna bet on that, I know it’s him.”

They’re both wrong. It’s not even an email, it’s a text.

**_Brent told me you were in Missouri, is that true? Sent: 5:56 pm_ **

“It’s Jen,” Shane tells Ryan.

**_Shane: What if we are? Sent: 5:57 pm_ **

Shane’s phone starts to ring and Ryan glances at it. Jen’s face shows up on the screen, illuminating the dark car interior. Shane swipes up, putting the phone on speaker.

“How ya doing, Jen?”

_“I haven’t seen you guys in so long, what are you doing so close by?”_

“Classified.” Shane sends Ryan a sly smile, knowing that if they know Jen and Sara’s case they probably know what he and Ryan are up to.

_“Bullshit. I know you guys are chasing down that one dude. The one who committed arson and murder and all that.”_

“His name’s Steve,” Ryan pipes up. 

_“Steve? What kind of a name is that for a killer?”_

“A stupid one. Which he deserves.”

_“Jen, we’re going to crash…”_ Sara’s voice comes up worried, and Shane blinks.

“You’re letting Jen drive?”

_“Hey. Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I can’t drive._ Ryan _drives.”_

“Yeah, but that’s just a random skill he happens to have,” Shane protests. “He needs as many as he can get.” Ryan punches his in the shoulder lightly, a slight scowl on his face.

_“You guys should come over once you finish what you have to do,”_ Sara says, changing the topic. _“Visit the Arch with us.”_

“I mean...I don’t think we’ll have time, this guy’s taking us on a hell of a road trip.” Shane says with a sigh. “Besides, you aren’t visiting the Arch, you’re trying to not get it blown up.”

_“Nuance.”_ Sara’s smiling, even though they can’t see it, they can hear it in her voice. _“Well, if you’re that focused on doing your job --which I doubt-- then we’ll catch up later.”_

“Have fun taking out the baddies, you guys,” Ryan says. A second after and they hear the click, call ended. His eyes are on the road, but his shoulders rise in a shrug of relief. “It wasn’t Steve.”  
Shane’s phone goes off and he narrows his eyes at Ryan, checking his phone and groaning. 

“Did you have to jinx us?”

“Whoops. What’s he got to say now?”

Shane eyes the bright screen, face illuminated in the dark. _“Having fun?”_ Shane wrinkles his nose. “This guy sounds like a douche. Ugh, okay. _‘Since you figured out your next location, I realise you two are smarter than you seem. No doubt you’re going to search the place...might as well book a room. I’m sure you two will pick the right one.’_ He wants us to sleep in Room 1046? That’s gross.”

There’s a pause before either of them speaks up again, this email shorter than the first one. Ryan turns onto the road leading into the parking lot of the hotel. “Well...I guess that’s the room we’ll ask for when we get inside.”

“What if it’s closed off?”

“I’m sure we have enough clearance to get in anyways. Besides, why would you just close off a room?” 

 

When they arrive, Ryan parks the car up front, handing the keys to the valet and stepping out of the car. Shane does the same, looking around at the view. Through the doors he sees a well-lit lobby, couches placed in an aesthetically pleasing manner pillars reaching to the ceiling. Chandeliers give it an opulent air, and people lounge around the second floor railings. It’s beautiful, and for a second Ryan feels out of place. He’s been in ritzy hotels before, and luxurious places in general, but he’s never felt...at home, exactly. Maybe that’s a good thing. After all, hotels weren’t meant as permanent areas. They’re just rest stops, no matter how glamorous.

He shivers as he gets used to the hotel’s warmth, still cold from the outside. He stomps the snow off his shoes, wandering up to the receptionist with Shane. 

The receptionist sits there, pencil moving across paper, a muffin on the desk next to them. It looks like they’re doodling, though what exactly Ryan can’t tell. He clears his throat to get their attention, noticing the name on their nametag. _David Ridgewell._ It’s an interesting enough name. David looks up, raising his eyebrows.

“Can I help you?” He smiles, putting his pencil down.

“Yeah, hi. Could we get a room? Like, a certain one?”

David glances at his computer screen thoughtfully. “Did you make a reservation? That would help.”

Ryan shakes his head. “No. This was kind of spur of the moment…we can pay though.”

David smiles. “Alright then. I’m sure you wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t pay...what room?”

Ryan glances back at Shane, who’s busy gazing at the architecture. “Room 1046.”

David stops scrolling, raising an eyebrow. “Really? Are you one of those conspiracy people? Like, the ones trying to solve mysteries?”

Shane starts to laugh, disguising it badly as a cough when Ryan glares at him.

“No. I’m just interested in the history of it.”

“Right.” David squints at Ryan. “What name should I put it under?”

“...Ricky Goldsworth.” 

Shane’s barely able to contain his laugh, he can tell. David doesn’t even try to hide the grin on his face.

“Do you have a credit card, sir?”

Ryan pauses before reaching for his wallet, Shane watching him with raised eyebrows. Ryan rolls his eyes, and Shane steps forward, bringing out his own card.

“Just use mine.” He hands the card over, David sliding it through with no problem. He starts to laugh, Ryan waiting till he can catch his breath, not quite sure why he thinks this is so funny. 

“I’m sorry, I just. That’s an actual name? Like, that’s really your name?”

Ryan feels indignant. “Of course it is, or I wouldn’t be saying it. It’s not that funny.” Jesus Christ, if that’s all it takes to make people laugh he should’ve been a comedian...

David wipes away tears of mirth. “Right, sorry. I’ve just...no offense, but it’s a really weird name.”

Shane nods. “That’s what I tell him everyday.” Ryan elbows him in a not-so-discreet fashion.  
Getting the actual room is a relatively simple process once they’ve payed, which brings up no questions. David keeps sneaking glances at Ryan, a barely contained smile on his face.

“It kinda sounds like a criminal’s nickname, Mr. Goldsworth. Where are you from?”

“New York City.”

“You don’t have an accent.”

“Yeah well, I travel a lot.”

“Really?”

Ryan sighs. “Do you interrogate all the guests who come to get a room?”

“Only the ones that have interesting names,” David replies with a wink. He gets their keycards, handing them to Shane. 

“Make sure you guys don’t let history repeat itself,” David says, a teasing note to his voice. Shane grins back and thanks him, following Ryan away from the desk, the latter anxious to just head up to their room already.

“Hey, Ricky, wait up!” Shane puts his hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “That worked like a charm, I gotta say. What a name, _Goldsworth.”_ Ryan rolls his eyes.

“It’s your turn next, Shane,” he says. “Do you have a better name?”

Shane looks up, visibly thinking. “You know, I think I’ll keep mine secret until I actually need it.”

“Meaning you don’t have one?”

“Exactly.” It isn’t exactly like they’ve needed one all that much. Most of their cases have gone by so quickly they haven’t needed an alias, or just flash their badges for clearance. Mostly the former. Using their badges kind of defeats the purpose of being a secret agent, but it’s happened. And really, how hard can it really be to make up a name on the spot?

….Unless you’re Ricky Goldsworth.

 

Once they find the room, they wait outside expectantly. It almost feels like as soon as they walk in someone on the inside will jump them. Which, to be fair, is a pretty acceptable reason to hesitate. Ryan keeps his hand on the doorknob, not yet ready to open the door.

“You okay?” Shane asks.

Huffing out a little breath, Ryan sets his bag down. “I just feel kinda weird going into this room. Bad vibes.” He pulls out the keycard, inserting it and pushing open the door before he can stall any longer.

The room’s pitch dark, not even the heating in the hotel can keep out the chill of this room. Ryan waits for Shane to go first, the latter walking in with ease. Of course. Shane could walk into a haunted house and be completely fine… the light turns on, and suddenly it’s just like any other hotel room, two beds, a nightstand, a closet and a lamp. Simple, yet trimmed in the same elegance as the rest of the hotel. Shane sits at the edge of the bed closest to the door.

“Well, I feel fully immersed. I can almost see the blood on the walls.” 

“Can you not say that in this room?” Ryan says, looking around warily. 

Shane leans back until he’s lying on the bed. “Look at it this way, at least there aren’t any locks on the outside anymore. That’s about all I remember about what you told me...besides the fact that this mystery made you want the name ‘Ricky Goldsworth’.” He smiles. “Is that why you used it?”

“Partly,” Ryan says, still a little on edge. “Do you want me to go over the details of what happened here?”

“Are you gonna have nightmares if you do?”

Ryan joins Shane on the bed. “No matter what, I don’t think I’m sleeping tonight.”

“Then tell your spooky story, little guy.” Shane sits back up, letting Ryan rest his head on his shoulder.

Ryan goes over the case, describing how it started, with Roland T. Owen, aka Artemus Ogletree, and the angry voices in the room, overheard by guests and employees alike. He talks about how the bellboy found Owen in the room, bloodied and with blood lining the walls and covering the floor. He feels himself growing more and more uneasy, until his voice drops off and he ends his lecture.

“I think that’s pretty much all we really need to know,” he says finally. Shane’s eyes are half-lidded, almost like he was listening to a bedtime story, his arms around Ryan’s waist.

“Yeah? So what now?”

Ryan breathes out. “I think we should look around a bit.”

Shane hums noncommittally, looking down at Ryan.

“Look, what do you say we go down for dinner, and then we can come back up and keep looking?” He says this more for Ryan’s sake than his own.

“We have to solve this as soon as possible.” Ryan protests. He knows he’s contradicting his stance on the case earlier, and he doesn’t really understand why. Shane just shakes his head.

“You can’t concentrate like this. Ry, you’re on the edge of a panic attack. Come on.” He pulls Ryan up, slipping the keycard in his pocket and opening the door. “Besides, it’s already seven and we haven’t eaten.”

Shane walks down the hall with Ryan’s hand in his, his boyfriend’s grip a little tighter than usual. They don’t pass many people in the hall, most probably in their rooms, or in the restaurants or other hangout areas. No doubt there’s a pool here. Ryan’s breathing evens out, which is good, and they head down the stairs.

“This place really is top-notch, wouldn’t you say?”

Ryan laughs a little. “Definitely. We’re just a couple of schmucks here. We’re out of place.” His grip on Shane loosens a little as they walk into the restaurant, arms swinging in between them. The hostess sits them down by a window, the city lights shining through the dark. Ryan looks out at the view, their menus resting on the table between them. Their hands are on the table, Ryan’s in a loose fist, Shane rubbing circles over it. 

“Do you know why you’re feeling so tense all of a sudden? You were fine until we actually got to the room.”

Ryan meets Shane’s eyes, opening his mouth to start an explanation, when their waiter shows up.

“Hi! I’m Brin, I’ll be your waiter today.” Brin smiles warmly, pen in hand and ready to take their orders. “What’ll you be having?”

Ryan’s back to looking out the window, Shane shrugging apologetically. “Can we have another minute?”

“Sure, take all the time you need.” As soon as they leave Shane watches Ryan expectantly, waiting for what he was about to say.

“Shane. This hotel feels just a little like a trap. I dunno, it looks fine, but once we went up to that room I just...”

“Nobody’s been watching us.”

“That’s true… you know, maybe I’m just tired.” Ryan says it like he wants to believe it, but Shane’s not so sure. If it’s a gut feeling Ryan usually tends to follow it. Shane doesn’t think they can afford that at the moment.

When Brin comes back Shane suggests they just get the special, they haven’t touched the menus, but they happily collect the menus and promise that their food will arrive shortly. Ryan looks around, and Shane leans forward, gesturing to Ryan to lean closer.

“Remember Ryan, you’re not completely defenseless. You do have a gun.”

The thought is so comical, of Ryan jumping up and shooting at thin air over nothing, that they both simultaneously burst into laughter, any tension lessening.

“You’re an idiot, Shane.”

“I’m _your_ idiot, baby.” Shane shoots him finger guns, Ryan flipping him off, a smile back on his face. Their moods are both considerately better after that. When the food arrives they both dig in, talking anything and everything, keeping the room out of mind until they have to go back. Shane decides to get dessert to take back to the room, and Ryan sees no point in complaining. The dessert here looks amazing.

 

Shane walks into the room first, flipping the light switch on and waiting for Ryan to join him.

“So. How are you feeling?”

Ryan opens his bag up, pulling out his computer and setting it on the bed. “Alright, I guess. We should really search the room.”

“A full sweep?”

A nod, then Ryan kneels on the floor, looking under the bed. They wouldn’t have been told to get this room if there wasn’t something here for them. They just have to find it. Shane opens up the closet, pushing aside towels and looking in the corners. It’s a clean hotel room, definitely nicer than some of the motels they’ve stayed at. There’s nothing super out of place, and from Ryan’s silence, he hasn’t found anything either. Of course, Steve has established a flair for the dramatic, the clue might turn up in the most random of places. He steps back.

“Ryan, look at this.”

“Did you find something?” Ryan steps up to the closet.

Shane points to one of the shelves. “What do you think that could be?”

“...I don’t see anything dude.”

“Look closer, it’s kinda small…”

Ryan leans in close, unable to see the smirk on Shane’s face. The taller man shouts, making Ryan jump and look at him with wide eyes. The room’s filled with Shane’s laughter as he collapses onto the bed, Ryan’s shock turning to annoyance.

“What the fuck. Why would you do that?”

“Because it was funny...and because there’s nothing here.” Shane shakes his head. “I think we’re just gonna have to wait. We have all night, remember?”

Ryan’s brow furrows in confusion. “We haven’t even checked the whole room.”

“What, you think there’s gonna be a note waiting for you in the shower? I’ll help you search.” Shane waggles his eyebrows. Ryan’s face is blank, clearly unimpressed.

“Well, what do you want to do?”

Pulling out the box of dessert, Shane opens it. “I think we should enjoy this and wait out the night.” He motions for Ryan to join him. “I mean, I think we’re meant to stay here, so might as well try not to be bored out of our minds, right? After this, we no doubt have somewhere else to go, let’s just try and enjoy this.”

“You better be right about this.”

“Always am. Now come here, or I’ll eat this cake by myself.”

The cake ends up being delicious, not to heavy, and moist enough that it doesn’t feel like bread. Ryan closes the shades, turning on the laptop once he’s done. Shane lays with his head on the pillows.

“It’s ten o’clock. Would you hate me if I fell asleep?” Shane says, biting back a yawn.

Ryan cards his hand through his hair, still focused on the screen. “Nah. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

“Alright.” Shane wraps himself up in the sheets, and Ryan gets up from the bed to move to the other one. “Just say here,” Shane says sleepily. “You aren’t bothering me any.”

“You sure?” Ryan asks, voice soft. Shane nods, face half hidden in a pillow.

“That way I can protect you if something happens,” Shane says as he closes his eyes.  
Ryan snorts. “Sure, Shane.” Sitting on the bed next to Shane, back to the headboard, he gets back to his research. After all, it’s probably a good idea to brush up on unsolved crimes, if that’s what they’re going to be chasing.

 

Ryan said he wasn’t going to fall asleep, and he hasn’t. But his eyes seem to contradict his resolve, growing heavier with every passing minute. And the bed’s warm, Shane snoring softly right next to him. His nerves aren’t even bad enough to keep him awake. It would be so easy to just...fall asleep...

It’s almost a relief when he hears a thud outside his door. Almost. He gets off the bed, stepping closer to the door. His gun is in his hand, and he leans against the door, listening closely. It might just be a random guest, stumbling back to his room in a drunk stupor. That’s the typical midnight thing, right? He waits, nothing more audible, but he’s fully awake now.

“Ry?” And now Shane’s up, hair already a mess even though he’s only been asleep for a couple hours. “What’s going on?” There’s another thud and a shout, and he’s out of bed.

“We should go out there.” Ryan already has his hand on the door, ready to burst out and see what’s happening. 

The door’s about two inches open, Ryan barely able to see, when he hears the gunshot. 

It’s deafening, putting Ryan on edge immediately. And he’s out the door, eyes catching on a figure, dark red stains surrounding the body, not twenty feet away. Most of the doors on the floor are open, people looking out to see what the commotion is. It would be hard to ignore a gunshot in a hotel as nice as this. Ryan races to the body, the person’s eyes fluttering weakly. It’s a wonder he’s not dead, a gaping hole in his chest. But it’s only a matter of time...this person can’t really last that long with an injury like this, even though someone’s already calling the paramedics. It’d take a miracle.

There’s something decidedly out of place lying on the ground next to the man, Ryan looking closer and picking up the object. There’s blood, but there’s no denying what it is. Pearly white, serrated and triangular. He pockets the shark tooth, just in time for a man to rush towards the victim, eyes wide with shock. He falls to the floor, not caring about the blood staining his pants.

“Kodin?” He gently shakes at the man’s shoulder, Ryan keeping him from moving the person too much. The newcomer presses his forehead to the other man’s, tears already falling. “What happened?” He turns to Ryan, still looking like he doesn’t quite believe what he’s seeing.  
Ryan shakes his head. “He got shot, but I didn’t actually see what was--”

He gets interrupted by the crowd separating, the help finally arriving. As Kodin gets put on the stretcher, Shane pulls Ryan back.

“We gotta go. Did you get the clue?”

Ryan nods, letting himself get pulled away from the scene and back into the room. Shane’s already getting everything ready to go, Ryan sitting on the bed, staring down at the shark tooth.

“Buddy, we can’t be here when they start looking for witnesses.” Shane’s bag is already on his shoulder, Ryan’s in his hand. When he offers it to him, the latter just stares at the bag, then back down at the tooth.

“That’s the second person we couldn’t stop from getting killed,” Ryan mumbles. Shane stops, setting down the bag and kneeling in front of Ryan. There’s a vacant expression in the shorter man’s eyes, one Shane doesn’t like at all.

“Ryan. It’s not our fault. We didn’t know what was gonna happen, that someone was going to die.” He frowns. “Maybe we should’ve, but we can’t worry about that right now. We have to go.” He waits for a response from Ryan, whose eyes are still downcast. “Ry.”

There’s a deafening silence as he waits, Ryan not responding. He almost gives a sigh of relief when Ryan gets up, slipping on the backpack. He didn’t expect him to get up so quickly, getting up and stepping back, meeting Ryan’s gaze. What startles him is the fire in his partner’s eyes, different from the hollowness of only a few seconds ago.

“Shane. We’re gonna get that motherfucker. He’s gonna pay.” Fury laces his voice, his words not a statement, but a promise.

Shane breathes out softly, surprised at the change of tone. “Hell yeah he is. We’ll make sure of it. Now come on,” he says as he opens the door. “We have to go now if we don’t want to get caught.”

Once they’re completely ready, they exit. They leave down a different stairwell, the crowd smaller but still just as hectic down the hall. Ryan doesn’t give it a second glance, Shane left to follow. It’s emptier downstairs, the lobby containing only a couple people, the receptionist desk empty. And when they pass through the doors to the outside, they don’t even look back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!! Back with an update, hope you guys enjoy..it gets a little violent but hey, they're secret agents :) Thanks for the comments and kudos!!!

_“Is Ryan okay?”_

Shane glances over at Ryan, curled up in the passenger seat, eyes closed. He’s pretty sure he’s asleep, keeping his voice low as he answers. 

“I think so.”

Sara sighs into the phone. She’d called once she’d heard about the fiasco on the news, Shane already driving to their next location. He decided not to leave through the same airport, instead driving west into Kansas to board there. They’re headed west anyways, in the end.

_“So, Michelle Von Emster? I don’t think you’ve ever told me about her. What’s she got to do with a shark tooth?”_

_Ryan holds the tooth up in the dim light. “A hell of a lot, and nothing at all.”_

Shane’s at a stop light when Sara speaks up again. _“You know that person, the one who got shot? He’s still alive.”_

“What?” A car passes their own, making it move with the air rushing past, and the light turns green. Shane squints against the bright lights. He’s grateful for the sleep he got in the hotel room, though he’s nowhere near well-rested. “No, Ry told me the guy basically got a bullet to the heart.”

_“He’s in critical condition, but he’s alive.”_ Shane processes this information. If he’s alive, and able to remember anything, then he could be a key witness.

“Sara…”

_“I know what you’re gonna ask, Shane. We’ll wait until he wakes up, see if he saw anything.”_

A wave of gratitude crashes over Shane. “Thanks. How’d your mission go?”

_“Piece of cake. The guy thought he was so clever, putting the bomb where he did, but he was so hell-bent on seeing the reactions he didn’t see us. And boy, he looked so obvious. Did you know he was wearing a dark trench coat and sunglasses? Although maybe that was the goal, Jen and I were just about ready to fall over laughing. He could’ve run away once we were distracted…”_ Sara’s voice is warm, rising and falling as she talks. Shane realises he’s just focused on her tone, listening to the rhythm of her voice as he drives, mind on a hundred different things. He doesn’t realise he’s spaced out until she says, _“Shane?”_

He blinks, brought back into focus. “Yeah, sorry.”

_“Tell me when you guys are done with your case, okay? I miss you and Ryan. Jen does too. I know we’re always busy, but let’s make time, alright?”_

Shane smiles. “Sure. We’ll have a huge party. Can’t have our friends missing us too much, right?”

_“Right. Well, I should get some sleep, we’re heading out to Kansas City in the morning.” Sara yawns. “Talk to you later, good luck on your case!”_

“Thanks, Sara. Have a good night.” Shane hangs up, Ryan opening his eyes slowly.

“Were you talking?” His voice is heavy with sleep.

“I was just on the phone with Sara,” Shane says softly. “You should go back to sleep, I’ll tell you about it in the morning.” 

Ryan hums quietly. “What time is it?”

“It’s two in the morning. You’ve only been asleep for about an hour.”

“Fuck.”

Shane laughs. “I know.”

“Let me tell you, once we’re done I’m not waking back up for at least a week.” Ryan burrows deeper into his coat, but he doesn’t close his eyes. “You sure you’re okay to drive?”

“It’s only a couple more hours to the next airport, I think I’ll be okay. After that, it’s off to California!” Shane says. “Your home turf.”

“My home turf,” Ryan says, voice laced with amusement. “Ball’s in my court.”

“Mm. You gonna see if you can catch a Lakers game?”

“Sure, right after we go to Disneyland,” Ryan says sarcastically. Well, his mood’s up at least. Shane doesn’t often see that kind of anger he’d had in his eyes earlier. To be completely honest he’d rather keep it that way. The last time that happened.... “Well, if you’re sure you can drive I’m just gonna go back to slee-”

A loud honk from behind them makes the two jump, Shane looking into the rearview mirror. There’s a semi right behind them.

“What the hell?” Shane drives a little faster. “There are two lanes, what’s he honking at me for?” He switches lanes, hoping to let the truck pass, there’s no point to starting a fight with an asshole.

It doesn’t pass. Instead it follows them, bumping into the back of the car. Ryan turns around in his seat. 

“I can’t see who’s driving it!” Ryan says. “Fuck, this is gonna be like the Sodder House thing all over again…”

Shane ignores his muttering, making sure he stays ahead, trying to find a road he can turn onto to lose the truck. Why is this road so long in the first place?

“We’re gonna have to ditch the car,” Ryan says. “Once we lose him.”

“I know, just-” And the truck revs up, ramming into the back of the car. “Jesus Christ!” He bites his lip, thinking. Ryan looks at him, eyes narrowed.

“Shane, if you’re gonna speed off like you did that last time you drove I’m going to kill you.”

Shane’s eyes are back on the road, but he manages a sharp grin. “Way I see it we’re dead anyway.”

“Shane--” Ryan’s voice turns to a shout as Shane presses on the gas, the car roaring. They’re lucky there aren’t any cars at the moment, Shane’s a madman on the roads. At this point the lights they pass are a blur, Shane doing his best to keep the truck far away. Ryan gets his gun out.

“What, you think you’re gonna shoot him?”

Ryan’s opening his window, the wind rushing in and whipping at his hair. “If I get his tire it might stop the truck.” He leans out, shots firing, Shane not swerving as much but staying in front.

It’s a lucky shot when Ryan hits the truck, they both know that. It’s the moment Shane hits a pothole, Ryan about to use the last bullet in his clip, the truck gaining. The shot goes off, hitting a tire and causing the truck to swerve out of control, tipping over in a screeching heap of metal and sparks. Shane slows the car, putting it in park as he and Ryan jump out.

“You think it’s him?”

Ryan puts a new clip in his gun. “If it is he’s gonna have a hell of a time when I catch him.”

They near the truck, approaching cautiously, noticing the gasoline spilling onto the road. There’s no body on the road, no one in the truck when they’re close enough to see.

Ryan curses, running a hand through his hair. There’s a sudden hissing, and Shane pulls him back just as the truck catches fire, burning up like flash paper.

Shane breathes out. “He’s been following us.”

Ryan sighs. “We need to get to the airport as fast as we can, or he’s gonna have more opportunities to kill us.” To accentuate his point, they hear the car revving up behind them. Ryan’s mouth falls open, and it’d be comical if Shane wasn’t the same way. 

“No way.”

“Shane let’s go, he’s taking our fucking car!” Ryan races off, the car speeding away just when he gets close enough, leaving Ryan standing in the middle of the road.

Shane looks down at the ground. “He left our stuff. That was nice of him.”

“That son of a bitch.” Ryan picks up his bag, slinging it on his back angrily.

Shane looks up at the sky. “If this is the game we’re playing, he’s a couple steps ahead.”

Ryan huffs, his breath cold in the early morning air. “I know. We’re gonna need to fix that.” He pulls out his phone, about to call Brent for a new car, when Shane laughs. “Why are you laughing?”

“I just..I can’t believe he actually took our car. I thought that just happened in movies.” Shane’s laughter turns into more of a giggle, Ryan watching him, mouth slightly curling up at the corners.

“I can’t believe you. You think being stranded in the middle of nowhere is funny.” He shakes his head, but there’s a one-syllable laugh Shane hears, and he knows Ryan’s just as amused. “How does none of this faze you?”

Shane just does a little shrug, wearing a half-smile. “I guess I’m just like that. I’m stone-cold, hardened by life’s challenges, worn down by fate.” He wears a broody expression, Ryan rolling his eyes.

“You sound like a dick,” he says with a wheeze. Holding up his phone he adds, “I’m gonna call for a new car. No way we’re hitchhiking.”

“We should probably start walking then, someone’s gonna find this truck and wonder what happened. I don’t wanna be here for that.”

“Right, let’s go then.”

 

The airport’s crowded, even in the early hours. Ryan guesses it’s just one of those places that will never truly be empty, not as long as there are places to see, people to visit. He and Shane stay close to one another; if that was Steve that was driving the truck, he probably knows where they are. And while Ryan’s pretty sure he won’t kill them yet, he’s not willing to take any chances.

There’s always the matter of getting through security, making sure they don’t get stopped for their weapons, making sure their fake passports work. They’ll need all the luck they can get, they probably don’t look the best dressed, they had to walk a ways before the new car showed up, and besides that Ryan’s still pretty sure there’s dried blood still on his shoes, even though he cleaned up a bit in the airport’s bathroom. Oh well.

He still can’t get over last night’s events, another death right under their noses, one he probably could’ve prevented. And while Shane’s been trying to bring his mood up, he knows he has, he can’t get over the fact that the longer they let this go on, the more people will die. He just doesn’t know how to stop it. Not yet.

They get through air security alright, walking towards their gate, once that will leave them in LAX in a couple hours. Truth be told, all these time zone changes are messing with his head...but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that in a few short hours he’ll be in sunny California, no more bundling up against snow and cold. They won’t be there long, he knows that, but it’ll be nice to be in his home state for at least a little while. Even if it is while hunting down a killer.

Once they’re on the plane, Shane says, “You know what I noticed? In the beginning we thought he was leading us around with cases that related to what he’s done, but that’s not really it at all, is it? I guess it was just the starting point.”

Ryan puts his bag in the storing area above his head, tilting his head as he processes Shane’s words. “I guess you’re right. The thing is, the only pattern these crimes have is…” He glances around, making sure no one’s listening to him. They’re first class again, and not many people sit around them, but Ryan lowers his voice all the same. “The only pattern is that I know about all the cases he’s throwing at us.”

Shane frowns. “You’re sure that’s it? God knows how many cases you know about. You’re an unsolved mystery nerd.”

“I know,” Ryan says. “Unless he slips up, we’re gonna have to find a different pattern within the pattern.” He’d taken his laptop before putting away his bag, sitting next to Shane.

The plane ride goes by faster than expected, Ryan and Shane having researched the case and checking out the areas Michelle Von Emster’s body was found, as well as the place she worked. Once outside the airport, Ryan takes a deep breath.

“I’ve missed this place.”

Shane sheds his coat, holding it in the crook of his arm, and smiles down at Ryan. “We should take an Uber down to the beach.”

Ryan rolls his eyes. “We’re not taking a fucking Uber to an old crime scene, Shane.”

 

They don’t take an Uber. In Ryan’s opinion rentals are so much easier to handle. You get the car, use it, drop it of when you’re done, and you don’t have to deal with anyone else really. Of course, it means he has to drive, but that’s a small matter in the end, and it helps him focus. There’s no car chase to the beach, thankfully. Ryan would rather not walk, it’s three hours to it just by car.

It’s rocky, the breeze whipping around them, no other people around them. Ryan looks out at the ocean; even though this is part of their chase, there’s an eerie sense of calm. He takes in a deep breath, the sea breeze strong. Shane stands next to him, reaching for his hand.

“Something on your mind?”

“Too much.” Ryan takes his hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Mostly just about the hotel.” He kicks away some loose pebbles on the ground, watching them fall into the waves at the bottom.

Shane snaps his fingers. “That’s what I forgot to tell you. I talked to Sara when you were asleep, the guy that got shot is in the hospital, but he’s alive.”

Ryan raises his eyebrows. “Wait, so he’s…? He’s okay?”

“Well, he got a bullet in the chest, so maybe not okay… but Sara and Jen are gonna check up on him while we hunt down Steve.” Shane smiles. “Good news, right?”

“Fuck yeah,” Ryan says, voice barely above a whisper. “We can do this, it’ll be fine.”

Shane brings him closer. “Geez, little guy, you’ve barely given yourself a break. You know, worrying just makes it worse.”

“I know,” Ryan sighs. He feels like he’s been doing that a lot this week. “Let’s just find what we need to on this beach.” He’s about to turn away when Shane tilts his chin up, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Ryan makes a slight sound of surprise before kissing back, not wanting Shane to pull away, wanting to stay in his embrace a little longer before they have to go back to the case. It’s warm here, and it feels safer than he’s felt this whole case, even though they are standing on what could be an unstable rock cliff. He can’t really bring himself to care.

Shane breaks the kiss, pressing his forehead against Ryan’s and meeting his eyes. “We’re good, Ryan. We’re going to do this, and before you know it we’ll be back home, watching movies, eating popcorn, and forgetting this ever happened. Okay?”

Ryan nods. “Yeah.” He clenches his hands into soft fists, looking around. He huffs out a soft laugh. “That was the dumbest chick-flick thing we’ve ever done.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Shane shoves his hands in his pockets, wearing a smug expression. “I was wondering if I’d get to do that out here.”

“You planned a romantic kiss on an oceanside clifftop?” Ryan asks incredulously.

“It was more of a hope that we’d get to,” he says with a shrug. “It’s a good day for it too, it’s beautiful.” He claps his hands together, effectively ending the moment. “Okay. Let’s get started on the search. Steve hasn’t sent anything, so I assume we’re on our own for this one.”

The beach is beautiful, the cliffs stunning, but the place Michelle Von Emster’s body was found isn’t exactly where one would want to go out for a midnight swim. It’s rocky, there’s a relatively far drop to the bottom, and no sane person would come out here. Personally Ryan thinks it’s a murder case, though some think it’s a shark attack. He pulls the shark tooth out of his pocket, looking closely at it. There’s no doubt about it, it’s from a great white. Ryan bites at the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.

The surrounding ground is devoid of any clues, they’re just normal cliffs. He can imagine the beach at night, the landscape looking so different than from the current noontime sunlight. There’s no reason as to why anyone would want to do that. He peeks out over the cliffs, not quite stepping to the edge. The waves crash against the rocks, nothing out of the ordinary…

“Wait, Ryan come look at this.” Shane’s pointing out at the water, and Ryan heads to where he stands. Shane’s brow is drawn as he looks out. “What do you think that could be?”

Ryan squints. Out there, at the shore, is what he can only describe as a lump or colorful fabric.  
“You think that could be what we’re looking for?”

“He’s not exactly making this tough anymore, is he?” Shane says. “We should go down there.”

“Here, let’s go down towards the beach. I’d rather not rock climb, these cliffs don’t look very sturdy,” Ryan says, leading his boyfriend down to where the rocks turn to sand. There’s an old couple that must’ve shown up a while back, staring out at the beach. He can hear them bickering good-naturedly, and Ryan tries not to catch their eye. He doesn’t want more people getting drawn into this, it’s enough of a mess already.

Upon closer inspection, Ryan realises it’s a parachute.

“Why on earth is this here?” Shane asks. “That can’t possibly be our clue. Is there anything inside it?” He lifts up part of the fabric from the water, looking at the folds for some sort of hint. Something’s trying to come up in Ryan’s thoughts, why the parachute’s here, how it adds up. It’s there at the back of his mind, he just can’t think of it. He pulls out his phone to look up unsolved cases with any mention of parachutes. 

He’s just looking up from his phone when he sees someone behind Shane, holding a gun to his head. Shane’s eyes are wide, obviously they were both caught off guard. Ryan reaches for a gun when he hears the click of a gun next to his ear.

“I wouldn’t try that if I were you,” a voice says next to his ear. “We wouldn’t want any...unfortunate accidents.”

Ryan’s eyes flick back to Shane, who makes the tiniest shake of his head. Damn. He should’ve been paying better attention, they both should have.

“What do you want?” Ryan says, keeping his voice steady. 

“What do you think?”

Ryan scowls. “Fuck if I know, you people are all insane.” The person behind him laughs, pressing the gun to his head. Both the figures wear masks, effectively hiding their faces.  
“I wouldn’t go insulting us, we are the ones deciding whether or not to kill you.” The voice goes dangerously quiet. “It’s amazing how far you’ve gotten, you’re really not the brightest agents, are you?”

“Well, we must obviously be doing something right,” Shane mutters. “So what are you going to do?” he calls out. “Kill us? I thought there was only one of you."

“How hard do you think it is to find a partner in crime?” Ryan guesses the owner of the voice is Steve (it doesn’t even feel right to call him that anymore). “As to whether or not I’d kill you, well. That’s still up for debate. So.” He laughs, Ryan fighting every muscle so he doesn’t just pull out his gun and shoot anyways. The other man starts to tie Shane up, Shane meeting Ryan’s eyes again.

“I always thought this might happen,” he says with a tense laugh. Ryan’s brow furrows, but it’s too late for him to even respond. The shot goes off louder than a bomb, right next to Ryan’s ears, causing them to ring. His eyes trained on Shane, who’s mouth forms a grimace. Blood seeps from his arm, and he drops the gun he’d reached for. 

“I told you not to do that. It might be a struggle to even leave you in one piece.” Tightening his hold on Ryan, Steve barks at his partner to hurry up, tying Shane’s arms being his back and ignoring the sounds of pain he makes. Ryan’s frozen, whether in shock or anger, or both, he can’t tell. 

“This was fun,” Steve’s voice lowers to a murmur, so low Ryan struggles to hear through the ringing in his ears. “This next part might be the most interesting one.” With a gesture he tells the other man to move, the latter dragging Shane away, unable to do anything. Shane calls out Ryan’s name, but he barely hears, reading his lips more than listening. He doesn’t miss the panic in Shane’s eyes though, and he finds the strength to reach out for him, too far away to be useful.

It’s almost a relief when the killer knocks him out, the butt of the gun cracking against Ryan’s head and giving way to quiet darkness.


End file.
